


Flee From The Past

by Gwenchanna



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - No Ultimate Talents (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), F/M, Komahina - Freeform, Kuzupeko - Freeform, On the Run, Running Away, Survival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:13:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25592581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gwenchanna/pseuds/Gwenchanna
Summary: A man who is desperate to run away from his smothering fate.A woman who is gradually collecting the missing pieces from her past.Does running away from the past count as living?
Relationships: Hinata Hajime & Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko/Pekoyama Peko
Comments: 11
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

Peko was all set for her job. She had three layers of clothing on and a very thick sweater on top of all those. The weather had been merciless these past few days. She wanted to make sure she didn’t catch any cold.

On the way to the door, she picked up her sling bag and headed out. Before she managed to lock the door, she saw a young man, about her age, dirty and unconscious, curled at the door next to her unit. Peko rushed towards the rather thin figure and crouched next to him.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Peko lightly tapped his cheek. Her eyes widened at the skin contact; he was burning. Peko tried to shake his shoulder, but he didn’t budge an inch. She rummaged through her bag, pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Hey Hajime, I need your help."

* * *

When he woke up, it was warm and bright. Fuyuhiko had to blink a few times to adjust to the light. After all, it had been weeks since he last saw the daylight. He chuckled, thinking how funny it was to feel so alive even under this condition. There were still a lot to think about but at that very moment, he felt somewhat thankful.

The ceiling was white, but the enclosed wall around him was adorned with light pink, flowery wallpaper. The blanket that was warming his body was also in pink and a lot of fluffy stuff toys surrounded him. He could tell that he wasn’t in a hospital; to his relief.

He pushed himself up even though he didn’t really have the energy to do so. But then, if he wasn’t that stubborn or determined, he wouldn’t have been alive today.

“Thank god, you’re finally awake.” A girl heaved a sigh of relief as soon and she entered the room and saw him. She quickly made her way towards the side of the bed.

The moment her face entered his sight, time stopped. He was sure that she asked him some questions, but he couldn’t hear her anymore. He widened his eyes to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks. Memories, the sweet and bitter ones all came rushing to the surface of his mind, creating a whirlpool inside; further increasing the intense pain in his head.

“Fuck!” Fuyuhiko groaned and quickly closed his eyes, thinking that the memories would fade away that way but it became more vivid under his lids. He quickly palmed his throbbing head.

“Are you okay?” Her sweet voice asked, heavily laced with concern.

_She even sounded the same._

Fuyuhiko took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. He couldn’t believe it.

“Pe..Peko?”

It was the girl’s turn to widen her eyes. She stared at him in astonishment.

“Do you… Know me?” She asked.

Her question took him by surprise. The whirlwind in his head rewound as far as four years ago. Something had happened. He didn’t know what, but looking at his situation now, he thought it was the best.

“I must have gotten the wrong person.” He muttered. She leaned back a little, as if she was not buying his statement just now.

When Fuyuhiko looked into her eyes, it felt as if she was hoping he did know her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaaay! Another KuzuPeko story!  
> I hope you'll support and read this story.  
> Edited: I can't make up my mind who to pick between Hajime and Nagito loool. Well, this is final and it's Hajime!


	2. Chapter 2

He hadn’t eaten a thing since twenty-four hours ago. Time was constrained, he didn’t even had a second for eating or falling asleep. However, the hours long boat ride gave him enough time to be reminded that he was starving. There was no food around and like him, all the other passengers, who were also Japanese immigrants, had very little to none belongings on them to save the space on the vessel.

Fuyuhiko tightened his grip on whatever he could reach inside the packed cabin; in this case, the opened window pane behind him. The weather was bad, and the waves were high and fierce. The boat ride was a torture since he was sandwiched with the rest of illegal immigrants and he was wet and hungry. They’ll arrive in an hour, so he pulled himself together and kept himself awake.

Soon enough, Fuyuhiko could see the spotlight high above in the near distance, probably suspended from a pole or something in the middle of the dark harbor. It wasn’t a light that other sea transportations would use as a guide, except for these small vessels that brought in illegal immigrants or items.

As soon as Fuyuhiko put his feet on the ground, a couple of men in black garments apprehended him by the arms and dragged him away from the rest of the immigrants. He didn’t fight back because they were far too strong and bigger than him. He needed to save the energy for the incoming ordeal.

He was brought to a rather deserted area behind tall stacks of steel containers. There were a group of people, all dressed in black suits waiting for him. The place was rather dark since the only source of light came from the moon. He doubt anyone would hear or see him if he was to be killed there.

“So this is the 'heir'?" An older man said in Korean with a snicker.

_ He must be the leader here.  _ Fuyuhiko thought and decided to not say a word.

He thought that he would at least have some time after he arrived in South Korea, but his father’s men were efficient and quick. He wasn’t surprised though.

“He is rather cute if I must say so myself. If he was a girl, I would have kept him for myself.” He chuckled along with his men. “Go on, boys. He needed some lesson. Just remember that he needs to be alive.” Other than the old man and two people by his side, the rest of the people, about ten people in total all surrounded Fuyuhiko. The old man walked away as the men started to beat him mercilessly.

In a span of twenty minutes, which felt like hours to Fuyuhiko, he was beaten to a pulp. Not that he couldn’t fight back, but against a number beyond anything he could handle, he chose to grit his teeth and received the blows. The more he rebelled, the more serious injury he would risk, and he needed to stay strong for his next plan.

He was barely conscious when they took him into the car with guns pointed at both side of his head. In the middle of the car ride, while they were passing a long bridge, he took both guns in his hand and pointed it to the two guys by his side to shoot them. The driver alerted the others which caused the other cars sped up to surround the car he was currently in but Fuyuhiko managed to jump out of the car and into the river below.

He managed to lose those people for a while even though he had no idea where he was. He had knack at finding his ways about and thus found the nearest train station in no time. He jumped over the check in gate and entered the empty, last operating train just in time before his chasers appeared again, only to find out that they had missed him. Fuyuhiko managed to give them a smirk and waved them goodbye.

He had a good command in the foreign language so it was not a trouble for him to figure out the station he should get off to. Despite his haggard appearance and bloody wounds, Fuyuhiko looked just like a local as he led himself around the train station and went to the locker area. He had asked the key of a specific number from the counter, 11037. He stared at the keychain for a while before he whispered to himself, “That strange bastard.”

In the locker, there was a note, a key with a cute keychain, a wallet with some money in it, and a sandwich pack. He reached for the sandwich first. The smell of the sandwich gave hint that it was about to go bad but for a starving guy who was at the verge of death, it was heavenly. As he greedily gulped it down, his eyes stared outside the window.

It was raining heavily.

* * *

“I must have gotten the wrong person.” He muttered. She leaned back a little, as if she was not buying his statement just now.

When Fuyuhiko looked into her eyes, it felt as if she was hoping he did know her. He was convinced that she looked disappointed. She put up an intense stare that he's so familiar with.

“But you just said my name-”

“Where is this place?” He asked, ignoring the fact that she was indeed called Peko. _Same face, same voice, same favorite color, same name too._ God would be playing a big joke on him if she wasn’t the same person. That aside, he still had a lot to be concerned about. As if she fully understood his concern, Peko let the matter slide and catered to his curiosity first.

“This is my house. I found you unconscious in the corridor right in front the door next door. That house wasn’t occupied so I took you in.”

“How long have I been out?”

There was something about the tone of his voice that made her speechless. She never thought a face that seemed as pure as a child could exert such intimidating air. She wanted to ask about him too but he was quick enough with his questions to not allow her.

“Three days.”

Fuyuhiko's eyes widened at the unexpected answer. He glanced to the side table and read the time on the pink alarm clock.  _11 a.m._

“Did anything… Anything that is out of the norm happened lately?” Fuyuhiko looked at her again. She seemed to be thinking for a while before she shook her head.

“Not any that I’m aware of, why?”

A few knocks on the door prevented their conversation from going further. They both turned their heads towards the door and watched as a tall young guy entered the room. He was dress smartly; ironed shirt, smooth slacks and neatly folded sleeves to the elbow. His eyes were strictly fixed on Fuyuhiko, who swallowed hard as he hid his shock from coming face to face with that guy.

Peko broke the silence with civil introduction. “This is Hajime. He is a doctor I know who lives nearby. He had been treating you for the past few days since you had a very high fever. Thanks to him, your condition improved without having to take you to the hospital.” Peko said, “And I’m Peko, by the way.”

Peko watched Fuyuhiko as he slightly bowed his head at Hajime. He wasn’t as rude as she initially thought.

“Peko,” Hajime called her, “Can you leave us alone? I need to do some check up on him for a moment.”

She nodded at him before she got up and left the room. After the door was close, Hajime walked closer to the bed and sat at the edge of it.

Fuyuhiko heaved a sigh and lowered his head. He was still too weak. “Bastard, you shouldn’t be here.” He weakly said.

“I’ve been here for four years and still alive.” Hajime chuckled. “You don’t have to worry.”

“Still, you shouldn’t be seen with me. How is the documents preparation going?”

“Everything will be ready in less than 24 hours. Until then, just stay low.”

Fuyuhiko nodded. “You too. Don’t come here while I’m still here.”

“Let’s see about that. I've been lucky for the past years, thanks to a _special_ _someone_.” Hajime said while smirking. For the first time since he woke up, Fuyuhiko smiled along. If he was healthier, he would have punched that smirk off Hajime’s face.

“You should eat that.” Hajime pointed the warm porridge in the bowl on the side table that Peko brought when she entered the room before. Now that his thought was distracted from his desperate flight, Fuyuhiko's thoughts began to focus on Peko again.

“Hey, Hajime. Do you know this girl?”

“Peko? Yeah. We used to work in the same clinic a couple of years ago and a friend of  _someone I know_ ," Hajime said while blushing. "We also used to be neighbors too. Why?”

“Is she…” Fuyuhiko up continued to stay quiet. After a while, he spoke again. “Nothing.”

Hajime sensed something much more than just mere curiosity just by reading Fuyuhiko's expression. It seemed as if Fuyuhiko knew something about her, but he decided not to push too far into the matter for the time being. Fuyuhiko needed more rest first and foremost. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this chapter is a little boring. Also, I think it's pretty obvious who Fuyuhiko is running away from, I guess.
> 
> And yep, Hajime is talking about Nagito so hey KomaHina shipper.
> 
> Also, Izuru doesn't exist here but Hajime is a genius so good news for him loool.
> 
> See you in the next update!


	3. Chapter 3

Peko had just returned from her work. She hugged herself as she unlocked her door because the temperature had gone unbearably cold even when it was still early in autumn. Before she left for work this early morning, she had left cooked meals for Kuzuryuu. From her first impression of him, he didn’t seem to be very friendly so she wondered if he was able to make himself at home.

Peko took off her jacket and hooked it on the wall and walked into the kitchen. The dirty dishes were piled in the sink but she wasn’t bothered with the dirty dishes rather was glad that he ate the food she cooked for him. She made her way towards her room where Kuzuryuu was supposed to be resting. She knocked on the door a few times.

“Kuzuryuu, can I come in?” She waited for a while but there was no answer.

“Have you had your dinner?” She asked. The quiet response encouraged her to open the door and let herself into the room.

Empty. There was nobody inside.

The kitchen was empty and there was no sound coming from the toilet either.

_Where could he possibly be?_

She hated going out at this time, when the sky was dark and it was cold but she couldn’t help but feel extremely worried. There was something fishy about her mysterious guest, but she trusted her instinct that she needed to protect him. Peko rushed outside and looked for him at the convenience store, at the bus stop, at the phone booth near the back gate of the apartment, but he was nowhere to be found.

“I’ve looked for him everywhere and I couldn’t find him.” Peko said calmly to Hajime.

“He must be nearby. Have you tried looking for him next door?”

Peko looked up to look at the balcony of her house. “Why would he-” 

She became speechless when he saw that familiar thin figure leaning against the railing at the balcony next to her apartment unit but Kuzuryuu didn’t saw her since his attention was occupied on the piece of paper he held in his hands.

Peko let out a dry sigh, dumbfounded at the surprising turn of event. “I should have,” she said into the phone, earning a small chuckle from Hajime.

* * *

Fuyuhiko was holding a postcard, nothing written at the back, and the paper was worn out. There was a picture of a winter landscape, a field of snow with scarce trees with white leaves and a frozen lake. The picture was labeled with the word ‘Sweden’. He kept staring at the picture with a grim expression. He sighed and looked away from the postcard suddenly his eyes caught a girl standing below, just outside the gate, staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

After moving to the unit next door, Fuyuhiko thought that Peko would stop bothering him but apparently he was wrong. He heard the door bell rung and moved inside to open the door, only to find her waiting outside the door.

"Why did you move? Your wounds aren't fully recovered and-"

Fuyuhiko was not in the mood for talking so he closed the door again. Right before the gap was closed Peko quickly blurted, “Hold on!”

He rolled his eyes and opened the door again. He refused to unchained the first lock so there was only a small gap that let her see him.

“You haven’t explained how you knew my name.” She said in a quiet voice.

“I told you-”

“I doubt you got the wrong person, because I’m the one who forgot everyone.” Peko said with face void of emotion.

Fuyuhiko stopped acting like he didn’t care and stared into her eyes. They were bright and honest, just like how he remembered them from five years ago. He could see a hint of desperation in them from the way she frowned.

“I’ve never met anyone who knows me from five years ago. Other than my aunt and her family, nobody here knows me.”

After a brief silence, Fuyuhiko looked at her softly and asked, “What happened?”

Peko hesitated for a bit. She's not open to anyone and she avoided talking about this topic as much as possible, but if Fuyuhiko was a part of her past, she’d rather open up that wound to fill in the missing piece inside of her.

He unlocked his door and opened it wide so that they could see each other clearly. Peko's red eyes looked straight into his. It felt as if he was being pierced to the soul.

“I was involved in a plane crash. Flying from Japan to South Korea for a vacation. My parents were killed and I couldn’t remember anything before that point of my life. I was told that I had been living in Japan since I was small so my aunt didn’t know much about me either. All the people who I know now are the people whom I met after the crash. But still… All these years, I feel so empty.”

_So she survived that crash_.

All this time Fuyuhiko thought that she was dead, killed in the crash. If he knew sooner, he wouldn’t have fallen too deep in the hole he was in right now; he wouldn’t have give up so easily. But then, at the end of the day, he had no one else but himself to blame for it.

Fuyuhiko wished she had nothing to do with him anymore because of how things had turned out for him. It would be too dangerous for both of them. However, for some reason, he should at least let her know something from her past. This was the last, and the most he could do for her.

“We used to attend the same high school in Kobe.” Fuyuhiko told her.

Peko's eyes brightened in an instant. “So you do know me?” She looked at him with hopeful eyes.

“Get inside. You can ask me anything. I’ll tell you what I know.”

* * *

_**Five years ago** _

He was sitting at one of the tables, taking a bite on his favorite snack in the middle of the busy street. Even though he hated being in the middle of a crowded, loud place, he loved the night market because he got to enjoy any local delicacies he wanted for cheap. He loved foods especially sweets and he could never get tired of it.

As his eyes lazily observed the busy street, his attention was caught upon a girl, dressed in the uniform of the school he went to, totally immersed into browsing a stuff toy store across the food store he was at. She was smiling to herself as she did.

_She had a very cute smile._

She was with a couple of other girls in the same uniform who were busy chatting with each other. One of them whispered something to the other, and she nodded. The other two girls left her there. After some time passed, the girl looked around and noticed that she's alone. She pulled out her phone and tried to make a call but it seemed like no one was picking up.

She carefully made her way through the busy crowd, while keeping her eyes alert, looking for her friends. Fuyuhiko finally rose from his seat and tailed the girl, keeping a little distance between them. He chuckled to see whenever the girl made an intense stare at some of the rather loud sellers. Aside the large choice of food, there were also a wide range of black market goods available at the night market and the competition between sellers cold be quite fierce.

The girl was too busy looking around and was caught off guard by a seller. The large guy pulled her by the arm into their stall and talked about their products. The girl seemed to be flustered as she shook her head, refusing their offer. The seller got upset and yelled at her.

Fuyuhiko quickened his steps and quickly put himself between the girl and the seller.

“What are you doing?!” The seller shouted.

“Sorry but I’ve been looking for this girl. We need to leave now.” he grabbed the girl’s arm.

“Are you from the other stalls? You can’t take my customer away!”

“She’s not buying your stuff bastard so let her fucking go."

The girl looked back and forth between the seller and the unfamiliar boy standing in front of her. 

Fuyuhiko exchanged a brief eye contact with the girl before he pulled her away from the stall with force and ran as fast as he could without letting her go. They could hear the seller shouting curses at him. When he looked back, one of the sellers was going after them. He was quick enough to miss their tail and brought her to a rather shady spot between buildings along the night market. They both were panting heavily and catching their breaths before the girl finally spoke.

“Thank you.” She said while blushing.

“You can find your own way from now on.” Fuyuhiko told her. The tone of his voice was direct and lacked warmth. He was ready to leave when she suddenly grabbed his arm.

“H-hold on, can... can you help me with something?” She asked while stuttering.

Fuyuhiko simply gave her a cold stare, which made her anxious.

_This guy is not very friendly,_ she thought. But it made her smile inside since she didn't expect how a face as pure as a child could exude such intimidating air. Deep inside, he must have a good heart since he saved her few moments ago.

“I’m Peko, I just came here in Kobe few days ago."

Fuyuhiko raised his eyebrow, “Tch, where are your friends? It’s fucking dangerous to walk alone.” 

“I lost them and it seems that I can’t contact them." She sighed, "I-I really hope you can help me one more time.” 

Fuyuhiko shrugged, his expression still dry.

Peko spoke again, “Can you help me to get home? I live in this address," she showed her phone with her address on it. "I’m still not yet very familiar with the streets here.” She said while blushing.

He sighed, "Stick close to me.”

Peko nodded her head. This time, Fuyuhiko took his time to maneuver his way through the busy street. At the end of the street, they waited for a bus and took it together, safely sending her home right in front of the building she lived at.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> Comment down below if you have any thoughts about this story. I would love to hear it!


	4. Chapter 4

"What happened after that?" Peko asked with curiosity.

Fuyuhiko raised an eyebrow. "What happened after that? You got home and continued attending school as usual. That's all."

"That's all?" She frowned. 

_ She didn’t seem to be satisfied at all.  _ Fuyuhiko thought.

"Why? Do you wish we fell in love or something?" Fuyuhiko smirked. His question immediately turned Peko a bit pink in the cheeks.

"I… I mean… Do you know anything else about me?"

He shrugged, "We're not classmates and we didn't cross paths that much since you were from another section. I just heard you were popular with the boys, and some of the kids at school made fun of your 'serious demeanor' but you weren’t bullied or anything. After you graduated, your whole family took that plane to South Korea for a vacation," Fuyuhiko paused, his voice dropped a pitch, "but your family didn’t make it."

Peko stared at the floor. She was somewhat disappointed. She wished she knew more about herself, but it seemed like Fuyuhiko didn’t know much about her either. The story he told her seemed too vague and plain that she couldn’t help but felt that he excluded some facts, but that could just be her. 

_Maybe I expected too much._ Peko said to herself.

Peko took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Maybe I should just give up finding out my past." She said weakly.

"You should. You seem to be having a perfectly fine life now, why bother looking for your past?"

She smiled bitterly. "Not having a past, or anyone who actually know who you were, can be a little lonely sometimes."

Fuyuhiko felt a speck of sympathy inside of him, but he couldn’t allow himself to invest much feeling towards her. He stood up and put on his poker face again.

"No more questions, right? You can leave now."

Peko stared at him with disbelief in her eyes. "What happened to you that night?" She quickly shot him a question before he made another attempt to shoo her out of the house.

"I'm not going to answer any fucking questions about me."

"Why not?" Peko stood up and stared Fuyuhiko in his eyes. He instantly avoided her eyes and grabbed her arm instead.

"Hold on, what are you-" her complain stopped midway, dumbfounded when Fuyuhiko dragged her towards the front door.

_Did I overstep my boundaries?_

"Now mind your fucking business and don't bother me anymore," Fuyuhiko said with irritation in his voice. He opened the door and froze to see Hajime standing outside, his hand was hovering mid-air, about to push the doorbell. Hajime stared at both Fuyuhiko and Peko in amusement.

"Did I miss anything interesting?" Hajime teasingly asked.

"Tch, nothing important bastard." He mumbled then returned his attention on Peko. "You, get out." He shoved her out of his house. Hajime raised his eyebrow and mock-curved his lips downwards, unpleased at the way Fuyuhiko treated Peko. Fuyuhiko had always been known to not show mercy to even women, so he wasn’t surprised.

"I know that I overstep the boundaries a little bit and irritated him but how can he do that to a girl?" Peko softly said to Hajime though irritation can be heard. Her face especially her stare become intense.

"Calm down," Hajime coaxed her. "I suggest you go home first. Let me talk to him."

The intense stare and irritation in Peko's face vanished with Hajime's mere words. Fuyuhiko was amused at how easily Hajime influenced her. But he had always been good with the ladies so it doesn't surprise Fuyuhiko anymore.

"But Hajime, why are you here?" Peko asked Hajime. Hajime chuckled and then looked at Fuyuhiko instead. Fuyuhiko looked away, annoyed with Hajime's smile.

"I'm doing a little check-up on him. I brought him dinner too." Hajime said and showed her the plastic bag.

"When did you and Fuyuhiko suddenly become friendly?" Peko asked curiously.

"I guess since we’re both Japanese boys, I have a soft spot for him."

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes. _This cheesy bastard._

* * *

“Here it is, all the documents you’ll need. Your forged identity, an id card, a passport, driving license. A new phone for you so I can safely contact you. Also, a plane ticket to Sweden, tomorrow at 3.20 p.m.” Hajime placed the large envelope on the coffee table as he took a seat on the sofa. Fuyuhiko reached for the envelope and briefly examined the content.

“Byron Nakamura? What’s with the English name?" 

Hajime shrugged, “Nagito said the farther it strays from reality, the better.” He suddenly smiled at the thought of the boy.

“You strange bastards.” Fuyuhiko put down the envelope and picked up a bowl of Udon brought by Hajime. “How’s your fucking life anyway?” He asked while he started eating his dinner. If it wasn’t for Hajime, he probably would have dined only on the cucumbers available in the fridge. He didn’t want to risk being located by those gang members by going outside.

“Life is good. I have a stable job. I’m a doctor at a local clinic. The neighbors are warm and kind. Nagito and I are flying to New York next month to get married and after that we'll return here to have a little celebration with our friends.”

Fuyuhiko briefly paused to stare at Hajime, _Tch this bastard got lucky that Nagito still accepted him even though he was an ex Yakuza member and run away with him despite the danger, _Fuyuhiko thought and then immediately resumed his dining, “Congrats Hajime. Too bad I can’t attend and become a witness in your wedding ceremony.” He saw Hajime became flustered but he decided to ignored it.

“Fuyuhiko.” Hajime said in a serious tone. He can feel Hajime's staring at him seriously and the atmosphere between them became heavy.

“What is it bastard?” Fuyuhiko irritatedly asked.

“Can’t you just stay here? At least you have me and Nagito with you and he is so eager to see you again. You also get to have a really beautiful girl for a neighbor too.” Hajime pointed his thumb towards the unit next door, referring to Peko.

“Fuck no! Those fucking bastards already know that I’m fucking here. I need to get out of here as fast as I can and..." He sighed and softly said, "it’s best for Peko to stay away from my business.”

“You knew her before, didn't you?” Hajime looked at him with his eyebrow raised.

Fuyuhiko finished the last portion of the food and then wiped his mouth clean with a tissue paper.

Fuyuhiko nodded. “She doesn’t remember me though.”

“Is she possibly… _that girl_?” 

“Yeah, she is.” Fuyuhiko's voice grew smaller, his reply was almost a whisper. He can see the shocked in Hajime's face.

“Maybe we can find a way somehow, for you both to-”

“It’s fucking impossible bastard, and you know it. You were just a member of the clan, and I’m the actual immediate successor of the Kuzuryuu clan. You were fucking just a breath away from being dead just by trying to get them off your tail. And you were lucky enough to achieve that. Those fucking bastards are going to be harsher than that towards me. You know the fucking rules. _If you’re not staying, you die._ ”

Hajime sighed, giving up on their little debate knowing that Fuyuhiko was right all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, Hajime is an ex Yakuza member and he have Izuru's intelligence in this story that's why he got away from the clan. 
> 
> Thank you for reading this! I would like to hear your thoughts about this!  
> See you in the next update!


	5. Chapter 5

_**Five years ago** _

Peko couldn’t understand why most of her friends told her to stay away from Fuyuhiko. They said that there were rumors that he was involved in a gang, or something like he was actually an heir to a yakuza clan. But no one was able to say confidently that they were true.

Even though Fuyuhiko was rather aloof and was always seen isolating himself from the rest of his peers, Peko had a strong urge to be friends with him. She would always give him a small smile whenever they cross paths at school but he would ignore her everytime. Last time, Peko found him sleeping at the library. She secretly sat next to him and read a book until he woke up. When he did, she tried talking to him but he left with an annoyed sigh.

She wasn’t planning to give up any sooner though.

Peko was eating lunch with her friends when she heard a group of boys talking about a gang from other school is looking for Fuyuhiko. The gang seemed pissed so the group pointed where they saw Fuyuhiko and was glad that the gang leave them unscathed. Peko, ignoring her friends’ questions, walk straight towards the group asking where Fuyuhiko was. She heard her friends complaints and warnings but she ignored it and leave the cafeteria to look for Fuyuhiko.

Peko went to the field and witnessed how the gang beats Fuyuhiko. She asked for the other students to interfere but everyone chose not to see him. It seemed as if he didn’t exist. When the gang leave, Peko was glad but one of them returned, holding a baseball bat and struck Fuyuhiko's leg while the others are laughing. They spent a minute or so until they finally leave. 

To her surprise, no one was still paying attention to Fuyuhiko. Everyone was so busy minding their own business while Fuyuhiko pushed himself up and walked limply to the side of the field. Peko, ignoring the others' warnings, ran straight towards Fuyuhiko. She quickly crouched in front of him who was already seated on the bench.

“Fuyuhiko, are you okay?” A concern can be heard in her voice. She tried to touch him but he quickly shoved her hand away.

“I’m fine. I don’t need your fucking concern.” He said while rolling his eyes.

“You look like you’re in so much pain. We need to get you treated immediately.” Peko calmly said.

“I said I’m fine! Just leave me alone!” His voice slightly rose.

“I can’t leave you alone. I'm worried about you.” She said to him. Everyone, including Fuyuhiko, who heard her was surprised at what she just said and at the fact that Peko was trying to help the rumored yakuza heir.

“You're hurt. Now stay still and wait until I return with a first aid kit.” This makes the guy speechless. He did as Peko told and stayed still. She ran towards the clinic and asked them for a first aid kit. She came back to Fuyuhiko with a student member who know-how in first aid and proceeded to put the proper attention on Fuyuhiko's wounds especially on his limping leg. Afterwards, he suggested taking Fuyuhiko to the school clinic for a proper diagnosis and treatment. Peko helped Fuyuhiko walk on his feet since everyone else wasn't doing anything nor care at all.

* * *

After Peko got back from school that day, she couldn’t stop thinking about Fuyuhiko. He was in so much pain, and yet everyone ignored him. If she were to put herself in his shoes, she would have felt so lonely and yet he didn’t complain at all. He must had been used to it, to be ignored and left alone.

She was glad that his injury was nothing serious though.

Peko couldn’t bring herself to study or even sleep so she decided to go to the night market nearby. Ever since her first time, she had gone there every week and learned to love the fun that a night market offers. She also had learned a few tricks to avoid persistent and fierce sellers.

To her pleasant surprise, she saw Fuyuhiko at the night market. She didn’t go to him but chose to watch him from afar instead. He was eating a snack while walking along the street, stopping briefly to browse some stuff sold there. He was limping, of course. Peko chuckled to herself. He still wanted to go to the night market even when his leg was hurt.

All of a sudden, thunder struck the black sky, splitting it in parts and deafened ears with its sound. People started to move faster when it began to drizzle. In mere seconds, the drizzle turned into a heavy downpour. Some people put up their umbrellas while others scattered away to find shelter.

Fuyuhiko just stood there. In the middle of the street, letting the rain soaked him head to toe. He looked up at the sky, staring blankly before he slowly hung his head low again. As if sensing that he was being watched, he slowly looked back.

Their eyes met. To his surprise though he didn’t show it at all Peko was watching him under the rain too. She was too occupied with watching him that she let herself got soaked. Her eyes looked mellow, her arms limply hung by her sides. Their eyes locked them both in that moment where it felt as if time had stopped. Neither felt self-conscious for staring at each other because they both were too busy in their thoughts, thinking and asking countless questions about each other.

Fuyuhiko let out a small sigh and shook his head. He ignored the girl and left his spot, looking for a shelter between two buildings of shop lots. 

“Why the fuck you're still following me?” Fuyuhiko asked, his back was facing her. He slowly turned around and leaned against the wall, only to see his expectation came true; Peko standing stiff in front of him, soaked head to toe, damp hair stuck on her forehead and neck, her clothes stuck to her body.

“I-I was just curious.” Peko stuttered a little, startled at Fuyuhiko's sudden question.

“About what?”

Peko paused for a while to construct a sentence in her head. Her heart was doing funny things to her brain that caused her to be struggling with her words.

“About why I don’t have any friends? Or whether those rumors about me being involved in yakuza was true?” Fuyuhiko suggested. Peko shook her head.

“I was just curious about you,” she paused, “about why you’re pushing me away.”

Fuyuhiko looked away and sighed. “The rain isn’t going to stop anytime soon." He mumbled to himself.

“I don’t mind. Because I’m with you.”

Fuyuhiko let out a sarcastic chuckle. “That’s the funniest shit I’ve ever heard.”

Peko frowned. “Why?”

“It’s true. All those rumors are. I'm the only son of a yakuza boss and I am destined to be the successor of the clan he leads. What do you think? Do you still think it’s okay to hang around me?”

“You can abuse your power to make the other students do what you want but you didn't. I can see that you’re a good person Fuyuhiko. That's why I don’t see any problems befriending you.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Fuyuhiko stared at her. His glare was so intense that he seemed as if he was going to swallow her whole. Peko was a little intimidated, a little anxious, but a little fuzzy inside too so she braved herself to not look away from him.

Suddenly, a motorcycle that had a full carriage sped through the small street between the building. Fuyuhiko grabbed Peko by the shoulders and quickly pushed her to the wall, his body slightly pressed to her protectively despite of her being taller for about few inches. Their brief physical contact sent their heart pounding against their chests, but none were trying to show it on their face. As Fuyuhiko slowly created a gap between them again, their eyes met. Peko's red eyes pierced into his.

“Are you okay?” Fuyuhiko asked, worry can be heard through his voice as concern covers his face.

Peko nodded. She can feel her face heating up so quickly blinked her eyes and looked somewhere else.

“I’m going to fucking warn you this one thing.”

Peko stared down into his eyes again. The concern in his face was gone.

“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.” He softly whispered.

Her heart raced faster as Fuyuhiko's face gradually inched closer to her, she closed her eyes waiting for him to kiss her. Peko suddenly open her eyes when she felt his lips on her forehead.

_His lips were soft and unlike his exterior, he was totally warm._ Peko thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Peko's still taller than Fuyuhiko in the flashback by few inches but in the present, Fuyuhiko caught up with her and have the same height.
> 
> Peko's personality is kinda different since she have a normal life though she's kinda socially awkward but still calm and easily flustered. Even though she didn't grew up with Fuyuhiko, she can still see that Fuyuhiko is kind. On the other hand, Fuyuhiko is still aloof and wants to be alone though he's quieter and not easily angered tho he's quiet easily irritated.
> 
> I'm sorry they're kinda difficult from their cannon selves. But I hope you still enjoyed this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Present** _

Fuyuhiko couldn’t sleep much that night. He woke up early to pack some things, but he didn’t have much to begin with. Hajime had left a backpack in the house, a couple of clothes for change, a sweater, and some cash. Now that he had nothing else to do, all he did was stared into the empty space. Before long, time flew and the sun was up. Later on, he began to hear some noise from outside. A very warm, happy kind of noise; of children laughing and adults sharing fun stories with each other.

Fuyuhiko leaned against the glass door that opened to the balcony and observed the activities going on outside at the small garden behind the apartment building. There was a barbeque party going on; probably something that the tenants of the building did to bond since Peko was there too. She was smiling and laughing, looking gorgeous. Without himself noticing, he too, smiled a little just by looking at her. He was glad that she was happy. Maybe she felt a little lonely without having a past, but Fuyuhiko couldn’t find anything good from revealing it to her.

He walked back to the old, slightly dusty sofa in the living room. He lied down on it and closed his eyes. Old memories he had shared with her became vivid underneath his lids, but he kept telling himself to take a nap for the moment. After all, there were still a lot of time until his flight.

_Knock, knock._

_Knock, knock, knock._

The noise gradually sounded sharper in his ears as he fully regained his conscious.

“I know you’re inside Fuyuhiko. Open the door.”

It was her. Again.

Fuyuhiko pushed himself up and rubbed his red eyes.

Peko's forehead creases as soon as the door was opened wide. She frowned looking at his bed hair and red eyes. “Have you been sleeping until now?”

Fuyuhiko let his head tilted to the side lazily. “What do you want?” He asked with a grumpy tone.

“I brought you this.” She shoved a couple of big bowls of grilled meat, sausages, and grilled cheese sandwich at him. Fuyuhiko held the bowls against his chest and looked at it weirdly.

“Every month there is a barbeque party down there with all the tenants. You should join next time.”

Fuyuhiko frowned, still sleepy from his nap just now. “Yeah... Thanks for the thought.”

They stayed like that for a moment. He continued staring at her, thinking that she still had more to say.

“Do you have anything else to tell me?” He asked breaking the silence between them.

“Actually, I was waiting to see whether you would tell me to go away.” Peko said while blushing.

Fuyuhiko sighed. “I don’t say that all the time.” After all, he didn’t want her to remember only bad things about him on the last day they could see each other; regardless the fact that she already had a bad impression on him.

“I see. Then, it’s okay if I get inside and eat together with you, right?” Peko said while smiling at him as she welcomed herself into the house and eagerly made her way towards the sofa in the living room.

“I didn’t say that but…” Fuyuhiko let his mumbling faded midway and decided to just go with the flow. He placed the bowls on the coffee table and retreated to the kitchen to get some plates and cutleries.

Fuyuhiko can feel that Peko's staring at him but he didn't say a word. He put down the stuffs he brought from the kitchen.

“Eat.”

Peko didn't said anything but stared at the man beside her.

“What?” Fuyuhiko asked as be shoved a grilled cheese sandwich into his mouth, filling up his cheek like a chipmunk stuffing on nuts.

“You’re not acting like a jerk today."

Fuyuhiko nodded carelessly. He swallowed and replied, “We’re neighbors right? And we have to be friendly with each other.”

Peko's forehead creases again and Fuyuhiko can see that she's not believing at what he just said because of his insincere tone. But Fuyuhiko didn't care at all, he was starving and he thought that he could actually finish all these food on his own. He had to remind himself to leave some for Peko.

They continued eating while Peko is making little conversation with him. She didn’t eat much since she already had a lot that morning with the others. After she felt full enough, she walked outside and stood at the balcony while Fuyuhiko is still eating.

"Fuyuhiko." Peko called him. He simply raised an eyebrow.

“Why didn't you tell me that you can see my living room clearly from here.”

“Why? Do you fucking walk naked at home or something?” Fuyuhiko replied nonchalantly.

Peko blushed at what he just said. "No, it's just that sometimes I fall asleep at the living room after dinner.”

Fuyuhiko smirked. “Yeah? That sounds fucking interesting. I should totally have a peek tonight.”

“I should put on a thicker curtain.” Peko reminded herself before she yawned. She walked back inside and sat on the sofa again and watched Fuyuhiko finished the last sausage from his plate.

“Aren't you going to go home?” Fuyuhiko asked.

“Are you going to shoo me away?” She asked back.

Fuyuhiko sighed as he got up and cleaned the table. “No. You can do as you wish.” He said as he went to the kitchen with the dirty dishes.

“Then I’m going to stay here for a while.” Peko said with a small smile and lied on the sofa. She watched Fuyuhiko's back as he cleaned the dishes. “I felt like I met an old friend who used to be really close with me. I don’t feel strange at all.” She murmured.

“Are you saying something?” Fuyuhiko briefly looked over his shoulder, but Peko just smiled back at him sleepily. He shrugged and continued his task.

“For some reason, I keep wanting to see your face, again and again.” Peko said with her voice loud enough only for her to hear.

_It was probably because he almost seemed as lonely as I am. Or maybe, this is what they called being attracted to someone?_ She thought to herself.

When Fuyuhiko finished his task and got back at the living room, Peko was already fast asleep. He sat on the coffee table so that he could have a closer look on her face. Her look had matured a bit, but she still had the same face, the same gorgeous smile, the same demeanor. She always kept herself busy looking out for him. He reached out, brushing her hair with the back of his fingers. For the longest time ever, he finally felt peace as he watched her chest falling up and down in a calm rhythm. His eyes lingered on her lips for a while but he dropped the idea in the end.

Fuyuhiko looked at his watch. _11:40 a.m._

It was time to go.

* * *

Her heavy lids slowly lifted. She blinked softly a couple of times, and turned her head to the side, to look at the wall clock hung at the kitchen. _1:50 p.m._

Peko forced herself up and found the house to be too quiet, to the point that silence was deafening to the ears. She could even hear her own breathing. She was still at Fuyuhiko's house, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Fuyuhiko?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Peko be able to remember Fuyuhiko at all now that he's gone?  
> Is this the end of the story?  
> Find out in the next update!


	7. Not an update

**Mike test. Mike test. Upupupupu**

This is not an update.

I'm gonna change the rating from T to M just to be safe because of the next chapter. I'm gonna post it maybe later after my online class or this evening since I'm still editing it. And yep, we have an online class and it's our first day so yeah gotta suck it up lol.

Well see you later! Toddles!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated M.
> 
> Warning: mention of murder, prostitution, drugs, etc. 
> 
> No smut lol.

Peko returned to her apartment unit next door, feeling somewhat melancholic. She had a bad feeling, but she couldn’t point out what exactly it was about. She fiddled her phone in her hand, contemplating whether she should ask Hajime if he knew about Fuyuhiko’s current whereabouts. She dropped the idea thinking that he probably left for a short grocery trip and let out a sigh.

“Why do I feel so restless?” She asked herself and walked towards the living room and grabbed her vacuum cleaner. She brought it to her room and turned it on and started cleaning to get her mind distracted. She crouched next to her bed to ease her way into inserting the vacuum cleaner underneath her bed but saw something that piqued her curiosity. She turned off the machine and reached for what seemed like a folded small card under the bed.

She brought the thing to light and unfolded the thick paper.

It was an old piece of photo.

As if sky had fallen down, the revelation hit her hard.

It was a photo of Fuyuhiko and a girl, and that very girl looked a lot like an eighteen year old Peko Pekoyama. Judging from the way both of their faces filled the whole frame of the picture, the picture was taken by themselves, most likely by him. She was sitting next to him, their faces touching each other. In the picture, Fuyuhiko was smiling so brightly while she had a tiny smile on her lips with her face blushing. They both looked so happy, like two teenagers deeply in love with each other. He probably had this picture with him when she brought him in.

Her hunch was right all along. He really was a familiar person to her and he did exclude some facts about her past.

Peko wondered why. Suddenly she felt a sudden urge, almost desperation to meet Fuyuhiko right then and there. She ran to get her phone again. Hajime probably knew where he is right now. 

* * *

_**3:00 p.m.** _

_**Incheon International Airport** _

Fuyuhiko is eating a snack while he waited for the line to be opened. It was just a matter of seconds before they called the passengers to board the plane. Some people started queuing already. After he finished his snack, he received a call from Hajime.

“Fuyuhiko, don’t board the plane.” A voice warned.

“Nagito?" He asked, "But the flight-”

“They already knew. I barely escaped from them a moment ago as Hajime created a diversion. Those people are probably already there. He said you need to get out of that place quick.” Nagito sounded like he was half-whispering. He was probably still in hiding somewhere. The urgency in his voice hinted the tense anxiety in him.

Fuyuhiko gritted his teeth, looking around to make sure he didn’t see any of those men in black nearby. So far, there was none. He began moving, away from his gate with his phone still stuck on his ear.

“I have another bad news for you.” Nagito added with a sigh.

“What is it?”

“Peko called Hajime less than an hour ago. She asked him about your whereabouts. I think she’s on the way to the airport right now. Do your best to avoid her or-”

“Fuck!” Fuyuhiko closed his eyes in despair.

“Move quickly and please be careful.” Worry can be heard in Nagito's voice.

“I am. Talk to you later.” Fuyuhiko cut off the connection and swiftly moved through one gate to another, his eyes more alert and quick than ever as he scanned his surroundings. He kept his head low, his hood over his head and his quick pace moderate enough to not be suspicious.

While he was busy walking and trying to fix a headphone on his head to appear ignorant, he bumped to a girl. He didn’t even look up but ignored her and continued walking.

“Fuyuhiko.” The girl called his name.

He froze immediately. The girl caught up to him and stood in front of him. He slowly looked up and his suspicion was proven right; it was Peko.

“I heard from Hajime that you’re going to leave. I have one question before you go.” Her hair is a bit messy probably from running around and looking for him. “Five years ago... Was I important to you?” She asked as she stared at him intently.

Fuyuhiko didn’t expect that question. _Did she probably remember?_

Instead of explaining, Peko showed him the picture. His eyes widened. That picture was his. He always had it in his wallet, until he lost it somewhere during his flight. 

Fuyuhiko didn’t have time to buy for any excuses, nor did he have the right words for that question. Now that she was here, he needed to get her out of there as well. Just before he could open his mouth to warn her, he could see a group of men in black suits, walking in group and dispersing into different directions quite far from them. The change in his expression made Peko worried.

Fuyuhiko moved his face slightly so that it was hidden behind Peko.

“Listen carefully,” he said quietly. “Don’t fucking look back.”

Peko had a bad feeling with his bizarre behavior. He seemed so anxious and tense all of a sudden. She slightly turned her face to the side, wanting to check a little but-

“Don’t!” He hissed. Peko returned her gaze on him. Her heart beat harder despite not knowing what was going on behind her. Fuyuhiko reached for her hand and grabbed it tightly, hurting her a little even though it wasn’t on purpose. “Follow me; and remember, don't fucking look back.”

Hand-in-hand, the two continued to walk, keeping those men in black in distance. He led her around the airport, heading towards the bus station. One of the men noticed his slightly suspicious behavior and called out on him. Fuyuhiko ignored him but they chased after him instead. He had no choice but sprinted on his feet without letting go of Peko. All attention was turned to him now and all the men in black began to chase after them. Lucky for him some security stopped them but they still had too many people looking for him.

They slipped into some odd corners, thanks to Fuyuhiko's skills at moving swiftly, hoping that they could escape the chase. They managed to arrive at the bus station at the ground floor without any sign of those men tailing behind them. There was a bus about to depart and they barely caught it. They hopped into the bus and found a seat. Fuyuhiko told her to duck while he took a peek outside. Those men were already at the bus station, raiding into each bus parked there to look for them.

For the time being, they were safe but those men weren’t going to stop there.

* * *

**_7:00 p.m._ **

**_A budget hotel somewhere in the middle of southern part of the city._ **

Fuyuhiko returned to their room with some cheap take away Korean food. Shortly after they took off from the bus, they looked for a budget hotel and got a room to be shared. He had insisted that they stayed together at all cost to ensure their safety, especially hers.

Peko was sitting on the bed, her face was calm but perplexed at what just happened. 

Fuyuhiko had expected such reaction from her but he can't blame her. It's always been him who put her in danger. He put the food on the table and sat at the edge of the bed.

“Peko, you need to eat.” He told her, his voice gentle.

Peko gave him a small smile. “Aren’t you going to tell me the truth now?”

“Let’s do that while we eat. You might not be able to stomach anything later on.” He warned with a wry smile.

“We dated for about a year, throughout our senior year. If you asked me if you were important to me, the answer would be, yes, you fucking were. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made a promise as stupid as leaving the clan just to be with you.”

Peko was a bit startled at his choice of words. He just smiled at her as he continued.

“The thing with quitting in our clan is, there is no such thing. There had been a few attempts by the members in the past, but they all end up dead. Hajime was the only exception.”

“Hajime.” She said softly.

“He was a part of the clan too. We were pretty tight back then. But Hajime is a special case. That sick genius was actually able to run away with his civilian lover, Nagito and made the clan drop their hunt on them because they just couldn’t find him nor Nagito no matter what they did. Even then, they still struggled and suffered a bit before they were finally free." He paused and look at Peko's eyes, "Has it ever cross your mind how did he become a doctor at such a young age? What took other people many years but he did it in two years. Hajime is that smart. He’s good at forging documents too but his qualifications are real.” He sighed and avoided Peko's gaze.

“After our graduation, your family went to South Korea for a vacation. We made a promise by then. That I’ll quit the clan and go to South Korea to look for you. It was an innocent promise, but it kept me directed. My father was the leader of the clan so he obviously kept a close watch on me. He knew that I'm starting to stray my path from being the successor of the clan. Things got a little tough on me back then, but I was able to hold on." He now then look Peko at her eyes, returning her gaze. "Do you know who you were now, Peko? You were that girl, the girl that everyone talked about just because you dated Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. The girl who made me choose death over living as a criminal. The only person who treated me like a human.” Peko can feel different emotions coming from Fuyuhiko as she continued listening to him.

“Things changed drastically after the plane crash." Fuyuhiko's voice started to filled with hurt and sadness. "I thought you were killed in that crash, so all hope had gone to ashes. I no longer think about quitting because what’s the point, really? To others I’m just a gangster." His voice changed into a distant one as his eyes turned cold. "Then I started listening to my father and did the things he did as well. I murdered people. I organized smuggling and even human trafficking. I even fucking sold young girls to prostitution, fucking sold young children for various labors or traded their organs. I distributed drugs. Everything was fucking done in large scale too.” He briefly looked at Peko after mustering up the courage to see if she was getting sick yet. She seemed shocked, but took the revelation well. Thankfully they had finished eating a while ago.

Peko stayed silent and seemed thinking about something. “When I dated you, did I know about you being a yakuza heir?” 

“You did. You even said that I'm different and have a kind heart, despite of being a yakuza." He softly mumbled.

“I still think you are.” Peko said in a calming tone.

Fuyuhiko sighed and feel that his hands are trembling. Peko noticed it but she didn't say anything. 

“It’s still fucking too early to say that." He laughed sarcastically then look at Peko in her eyes. "I did everything without thinking much. I was slowly becoming the cold-hearted, sick bastard like my father is. Late last year, around this time, I was arranged to get married to a daughter of one of the highest ranking member of the clan. She was a decent girl." Fuyuhiko closed his eyes and took a while to continue but Peko waited for him patiently.

With a sighed, he continued, "Later on, we found out that her father swindled a large sum of the clan's earnings for his own. He was sentenced to death, so was his whole family. As for his daughter, my wife, she was to be killed with my own hands. It was a ‘do or die’ kind of choice. I had to fucking prove my faith for the clan," his voice started shaking, "s-so I-I did it. I-I killed her with my own hands." Fuyuhiko can feel Peko held his hand to comfort him and he appreciated it. With a shaky voice, he still continue, "Even when I-I knew that s-she was pregnant with my child.” With that, he avoided her gaze. 

Fuyuhiko can feel Peko's grip harden. Probably because of the revelation he just told her. 

“Ever since then, her face haunted me day by day. The guilt slowly ate me from inside. I was at the brink of insanity until I decided to quit the clan. With Hajime's help, I was able to get away somehow, but right now they are hunting high and low for me. It isn’t the time to feel relieved yet.”

As Fuyuhiko finally got silent, she finally understand why he hid the things that he did. Why he was so cold to her, why he refused letting her know the truth. His eyes were telling her, ‘I am this kind of fucking sick bastard, so don’t put any hope on me anymore.’ But then, her heart hurt so much for him, for all the things he had gone through. She wants to help him carry the burden he's carrying.

“I think they saw you too.” Fuyuhiko added. “It’s fucking dangerous for you too now. Hajime and I will work something out for you. Just don’t be surprised if we had to send you abroad all of a sudden.” Fuyuhiko pulled his hand away from Peko, stood up and poured himself a glass of water. “It had been a long day so we should go to sleep now. We have to travel again tomorrow. For the time being, I think we should just move around until they totally lost us.”

Fuyuhiko lied on the bed, taking one side of the bed and faced the wall. Peko did the same too, so they were both facing opposite directions. Honestly, Peko was still important to him. Right now, she was so close to him and he wanted to hold her so bad but his sins came back at him, telling him why he shouldn’t and why he should keep a distance from her. He didn’t think he could fall asleep like this.

“Fuyuhiko.” A soft voice that called him out in his thoughts.

“Hm?”

He can feel her shifted. “If it was that hard to leave the clan, why didn’t you choose death instead?” 

Fuyuhiko had a brief moment of silence. “Atonement would be impossible for all the sins that I’ve done. I just thought that if I live quietly, and find a way to give back to the society somehow, it’s good enough.”

“A second chance, is it?”

“I guess so.”

The room fell back to its peaceful silence. Fuyuhiko already had his eyes closed, but he gently opened them again, surprised when he felt her face buried on his back. It soothed him somehow, after all that talk about the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I fell asleep and just woke up and edited this chapter. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated M.
> 
> Warning: violence

She could recognize his back from afar. He was standing at a hill, looking at a field of flowers, letting the warm morning sun light bathed him. She walked up to him and stood by his side. She can feel he took her hand and he stared at her. She returned his gaze and saw that he had a beautiful smile. It was her first time seeing it but it felt as if she had seen it thousands of times before, still, she could never grew sick of it.

“I’m sorry. For all the things you’ve been through.” His eyes looked apologetic and sincerity can be heard in his voice.

“It’s okay Fuyu, what's important is that you’re here with me." She told him as she give him a smile. She looked ahead at the beautiful scenery and wished that time would pause.

Peko opened her eyes to find herself in an empty room. She sat on her bed and looked at the window. The sun was barely up.

_Did Fuyuhiko left me? No, it's impossible. That didn’t sound like the plan he told me last night. Did he go out briefly?_

She felt a little uneasy but before she could even thought of anything about it, she heard a row of loud knocks on the door.

Peko left the bed and stood at the doorway. The knocks grew louder and stronger. Her gut tells her that something was not right. 

“Open this door before we break it!”

“I’ll open it for you! Don’t break anything in my hotel!” A voice, probably the owner, begged.

A group of four men in black marched into the room, piercing their gaze towards Peko.

* * *

Fuyuhiko went out early in the morning. He had gotten used to being chased so he had a few tricks up his sleeve to not being caught. It took him less than fifteen minutes to go out, bought something for breakfast and then returned to the hotel. His steps took an abrupt stop as his eyes caught a familiar car parked outside the hotel; a jet black Mercedes S-class that was commonly used by the clan members even the other division from other countries use them. To his horror, a group of men appeared from the building with Peko. She was walking calmly with them but Fuyuhiko can see in her eyes that she's horrified.

“Fuck.” He let go of the food and ran towards them. When Peko saw him, her eyes immediately widened. She was scared, and yet she wished Fuyuhiko didn’t go to her. She didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

Fuyuhiko was determined to throw a punch at one of the guys who was holding Peko, but another guy stepped in and threw his thin body to the ground. Fuyuhiko effortlessly bounced back to his feet and sidekicked one of the guys. He managed to send the two guys who came at him tumbling back on the ground, groaning in pain. The guy with Peko made a quick move to slip his hand into his jacket and pulled out a gun, pointing at her head.

Fuyuhiko immediately stopped. He gritted his teeth, frustrated. They were caught. He had underestimated these guys. After all, the korean division of the clan is mostly known for tracking down people. Fuyuhiko remained still when the two guys came back at him and took hold of his arms. Peko watched him silently but her eyes are brimming with tears. The two of them were forced to get inside the car.

Fuyuhiko's heart was beating fast the moment they arrived at a high-rise building in the middle of the busy city, a famous five star hotel and casino that was partly invested by the clan. He was immediately separated from Peko as soon as they were escorted into the building, roughly handled by those men who caught them. He was taken to the highest floor. He had some ideas of who he was about to meet and that his death was probably ticking closer but his main concern right now is Peko.

_Things were about to go really fucking bad._ He thought.

The elevator door opened to a lavish lift lobby. Marbled walls, lush carpets and million-dollar worth sculpture hanging by the ceiling. Another pair of large, mahogany doors opened to an suite. A man was staring outside the full-height windows, his back facing the entrance. Fuyuhiko was brought inside and kicked behind the knees to force him on his knees. He looked up to see the familiar figure turning around.

It was Daisuke Kuzuryuu, Fuyuhiko's biological father. He was tall and a little slender. His built was similar to his son’s, though he seemed sturdier.

“My son.”

Fuyuhiko glared at the man who claimed to be his father. Why would he call himself a father? Especially on how he treated his own family. How he fucking killed his very own wife and daughter just because they want to leave the clan and have a normal life.

“Don't fucking call me that." He replied through gritted teeth. His voice was trembling from all the wrath and hatred he felt inside.

His old man let out a nonchalant laugh. “No matter how much you denied it, the blood flowing through my veins is also flowing through yours. As much as I am a criminal, so are you." Fuyuhiko can see his father's wicked smile, "We are not made for living like the rest of the Human race. We are to live as leaders, with power in our hands. Just when I thought that you were as talented as I am, you disappointed me son.”

“Just fucking kill me already.”

“I’ll get around to that. You can’t die that easily because you’re my son. Too bad there's no one as good as you are but I can’t still forgive you even if you're a son of mine.”

Fuyuhiko smiled bitterly as he remembered the tragic fate of his mom and his little sister, Natsumi. He was a kid when it happened so he didn't fully understand. He just thought that they died in a car accident but years later, he found out that his mom run away with Natsumi and the car accident was just a cover-up.

“I heard a very interesting story." The Old Kuzuryuu said which brought Fuyuhiko back to reality, "I heard that you met a woman here. A nice and pretty lady or so I heard.”

“What are you going to do about her?” Fuyuhiko's voice remained low, but edgy and desperate.

“She's important to you, isn’t she? Sounds like a blackmail material there.”

“You better not lay a fucking finger on her!”

“What if I do?” The tone of his father made Fuyuhiko quiet. He wasn’t at a position where he could threaten his father. His old man obviously had more power and a small provocation could lead to a disaster. Fuyuhiko resorted to a negotiation instead.

“Just... Just let her go, and I’ll do anything as you say. I’ll go back to the clan as the lowest ranked member if you want, as long as she’s safe.”

Daisuke Kuzuryuu laughed out loud. His deep voice thundered in the air, his laughter was more intimidating than funny.

“Who do you think you are to offer such negotiation? Do you think I want to take you in so badly that I would let go of a gold discovery?”

“What are you planning to do with her?” Fuyuhiko asked furiously.

“Do you know what’s the best punishment for someone whom I used to trust greatly but betrayed me in the end? It was not beating or death, it was regret. That girl, Peko Pekoyama, she was the girl that you dated 5 years ago, wasn’t it?”

Fuyuhiko was rendered speechless. His father had a knack with taking away the things that are important to people. A thick lump formed in his throat and it took him great effort to swallow it down.

“When she went to South Korea with her family, I gave you a chance to redeem my faith in you. You should have been thankful and I thought you did but I was wrong. You are going to regret this so much Fuyuhiko because I am not one who gives second chances.” His father said as he walked closer to him and crouched in front of him so their eyes were leveled. “Did you really think that plane crash was a mere accident?”

Fuyuhiko's eyes widened.

* * *

Peko was taken to an empty suite. She was told to wait there. It took about almost an hour until someone came in. The man was large and very fit even when he seemed like he was venturing into the fifties already. He was dressed in refined suit and had a cold, superior aura about him. There were two young men in those plain black suit following behind him wherever he went. Peko automatically stood up as he entered and took a seat on the sofa at the living area.

“Hello there, you must be Peko. I’m part of the Kuzuryuu clan and the leader of the Korean division. You can just call me Mister Lee.” The old man smiled and signaled her to sit down, but Peko ignored it.

“Where's Fuyuhiko?” She ask while the man raised an eyebrow, amused.

“You sure are worried about him, huh? Aren’t you curious why you were brought here in the first place?”

Of course she was. However, she didn’t feel like knowing the answer. It couldn’t be anything good.

“Where is he? What are you guys doing to him?” Her voice remained cold and indifferent.

Mister Lee nodded his head in acknowledgement. “As for now, I’m leaving that matter to his father. They are family after all. But you, little princess, I have a totally different plan for you.”

“Let me out of here.” She stared at the man intently.

He still looked amuse, “Don’t you want to listen to it?”

“Take me to Fuyuhiko.”

Mister Lee brought Peko with him to the Presidential Suite on the highest floor. She was being stubborn so he decided to make it clear to her just what sort of situation she was in. When they entered the suite, Daisuke Kuzuryuu was sitting on the sofa, a champagne glass in his hand and women at each of his side. He was enjoying a rather violent scene in front of him where Fuyuhiko was being beat by two men with their bare hands. He was already crumpling at the floor, but everytime they would force him to stand up again.

“Fuyuhiko.” Peko called his name as soon as she saw Fuyuhiko.   
Fuyuhiko saw her, but he could barely respond to her. Peko wanted to run to him and stop the madness but she was held back by the two large men who was with Mister Lee just now.

“Well, hello Lee. Are you here to enjoy the show too?” Daisuke raised his champagne glass and ordered one of the girls to pour another glass as Lee took a seat.

“My girl is having a hard time of accepting the reality. Just here to give her some ideas.” He received the glass and took a sip out of it.

“Stop this right now. Please just let us go.” Peko begged.

“That’s not how things work here, love.” Daisuke replied as he stared at her.

“Just... Just stop hurting him.” Peko said in a desperate voice.

Daisuke chuckled. “Ah, I have an interesting an idea. Would you like to hear it?”

Peko stayed quiet. She was already expecting crazy ideas from these people.

“I do.” Lee butted in as he raised his hand.

“Let’s play a little game, shall we? Fuyuhiko dies right now, and we’ll let you go. You stay here, we’ll give him a chance to live.”

Peko's eyes widened as she heard what the man in front of her said.

“The fuck...” Fuyuhiko muttered. His slight response was met with a stronger kick right in the middle of his abdomen.

“Stop!” Peko shouted.

“I’m giving you the power to choose, sweetie. That’s not a very common occurrence here. You can ask those guys, they know it’s true.” Daisuke said as he sipped his champagne. The beating continued. One guy stepped on Fuyuhiko's elbow and twisted his feet as he pressed stronger. Fuyuhiko's voice climbed to a sharp, loud groan accompanied by the sound of cracking coming from inside him.

“Stop it please!” Peko can feel her eyes brimming with tears.

“You say the magic word, and I’ll tell them to stop.” Daisuke said in a jeering tone.

Peko felt tears finally streamed down her face. “Fuyuhiko.” She said softly.

Fuyuhiko's groan grew louder. He wanted to tell her to go. They wouldn’t let him alive no matter what. He wanted to say it was a trap but his lips were unable to form apprehensible speech anymore, all that ever came out form his mouth were long, painful groans that tighten knots in his stomach.

“Hey, take this. Use everything but the last bullet. Don’t kill him until I order you to do so.” Daisuke handed one of the guys a gun. They took it from his hand and aimed it at Fuyuhiko who was already lying on the floor. A shot was released, and it hit his shoulder. Peko saw how Fuyuhiko's body jerked as the bullet pierced his skin and bones. More blood tainted the expensive carpet.

“S-Stop please!” She begged.

Another shot was released, and this time it hit Fuyuhiko's thigh.

“I’ll stay!” Peko yelled.

The men stopped, waiting for the next order. Fuyuhiko gritted his teeth, releasing a desperate, deep grunt. He was trying to tell Peko to take back her words, but only incomprehensible sound echoed into the air.

“What was it again, honey?” Daisuke asked with a wicked grin on his face.

“I’ll stay just let him go."

“That’s very sweet of you. I thought you’d choose to go instead. You’ve only known Fuyuhiko for like... what, three days?” He chuckled. With a wave of his hand, the men dispersed, leaving Fuyuhiko lying on the carpet.

“She’s in your hands now, Mister Lee. Take it as a gift from me for finding my son.” Daisuke raised his glass and clanked it with Lee’s.

“It’s a rather luxurious gift, I’d say.”

He gave another wave of his hand, and the men who held Peko took her away from there. Her cheeks were wet with tears, her face as pale as a corpse. She looked back one last time to look at Fuyuhiko. He was barely conscious but she could tell that his eyes were fixed on her.

It was time to say goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Fuyuhiko.”
> 
> “Yeah?”
> 
> “Let’s take a picture together.”
> 
> “Tch, forget it.”
> 
> “Just one picture, please?” Peko looked him in his eyes.
> 
> Fuyuhiko groaned. “Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated M.
> 
> Warning: murder, gore, violence and rape.
> 
> I put a warning in the rape scene. Just skip that part if you're uncomfortable to it though it's just really short. Thank youuuu!

* * *

**_Five years ago_ **

The two young lovebirds sat on a spread mat under a shady tree nearby a wheat field. It was Peko's idea to get away from the city and spent an evening at the countryside. She said a good friend of her father lived there and they often visited the family so she was pretty familiar with the area.

Fuyuhiko was already lying on his back, just staring at the blue sky lazily while Peko was busy unpacking the food. He saw all the food and it was quite a grand dining for him.

“What’s with all the food though? I thought we were just having a simple picnic.” Fuyuhiko asked, clueless.

“But I want it to be special today.”

“Why?”

Peko gave him a smile, “Fuyuhiko, it’s your birthday.”

“Yeah?” He blushed from the embarrassment while Peko chuckled at his reaction.

“I also made this for you.” She put out a square box, revealing a small chocolate cake inside. He had a small smile on his lips as he observed the details of the cake.

“It’s been a while since I celebrate my birthday with a cake.”

"It is?”

He gave her his infamous smirk. “Does it make sense to have my old man buying cakes for me?”

“I understand about your father... How about your mother?”

Fiddling with his tie, Fuyuhiko answered indifferently. “I don’t remember much about my mother. When I was five or six, I remembered my old man saying to me that she and my sister were dead because of a car accident.”

“I’m sorry Fuyuhiko...” Peko lowered her gaze, feeling bad about bringing up a bad memory.

Fuyuhiko wasn’t as affected. He simply shrugged it off. “It doesn’t matter anymore. So, are we going to eat the cake first or...?”

Peko quickly left the uncomfortable thoughts behind and proceeded with her plan for the day. “We should put on the candles first.”

She lit up the candles, wished him ‘Happy birthday,’ and Fuyuhiko muttered something before he blew the candles. As opposed to his personality, Fuyuhiko actually really liked sweets. He ate most of his cake before they ate the meals that Peko prepared, having light chats and laughing over silly things. While she was having a break from eating, he was still filling up his stomach. She thought he looked so cute and decided to snap a picture of him pigging on the food.

“Put the camera away.” He frowned.

“No.” Peko smiled while waving the Polaroid photo in her hand.

“I hate cameras.” Fuyuhiko muttered.

Suddenly, Peko thought of a brilliant idea.

“Fuyuhiko.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s take a picture together.”

“Tch, forget it.”

“Just one picture, please?” Peko looked him in his eyes.

Fuyuhiko groaned. “Fine.”

Peko changed her spot so she could sit next to him. While she adjusted the settings on her camera, Fuyuhiko took a look, but quickly looked away afterwards. Peko smiled as he moved closer to her. She passed the camera to him and signaled him that he's the one who should take the picture. Fuyuhiko declined many times but he actually gave up at last since he can't say no to Peko. They took photos together but Fuyuhiko's smile seems force or he's not smiling at all.

“My friend says that when you take pictures, you don’t smile at the camera. You smile for the person who will be looking at the picture.” Peko lovingly said as she tilted her head to the side to peek on his face. Fuyuhiko suddenly smiled and looked away.

“Just like that.” She puts her arm around his shoulder while his is in her waist. She signaled Fuyuhiko to hold the camera in front of them. She pressed her cheek to his and put up her smile. “On the count of three. One, two-”

"I love you." Fuyuhiko blurted. Peko blushed as she smiled which brought a bright smile on his face. He pressed the shutter and pulled out the Polaroid. She was still next to him as she fanned the piece of photo. Fuyuhiko had been quiet but he was really curious as to how the picture came out.

The image was finally formed on the black surface. Fuyuhiko took the picture from Peko's hand to examine it more closely. It was really different from the ones they've taken before. In the picture, Fuyuhiko was smiling so brightly while she had a tiny smile on her lips with her face blushing. They both looked so happy, like two normal teenagers deeply in love with each other. Fuyuhiko smiled at the photo in his hand.

“Hey, Peko... Can I keep this one?”

“You want to keep it?”

“Ye-yeah... W-we can take another picture if you want, but I really want to keep this one.”

“Of course, you can keep it.” Peko said as she stared at the scenery before her eyes. On the other hand, Fuyuhiko was still busy observing the picture in his hand.

“Our graduation is coming up soon.” Fuyuhiko suddenly said which broke the silence between them.

“Yeah.”

Silence once again took over the gap in their conversation. They could hear the sound of the wind blowing by, wishing words could flee from their lips just as lightly. It was hard, because they knew exactly what was going on in each other’s mind.

“You know Fuyuhiko, let's leave this place.” Peko suggested, her voice gentle and mellow, “Come with us to South Korea. No one will bother you there and we can always be together. After that, we can stay in Tokyo or anywhere else except here. My family can help us settle somewhere,” she said in a serious tone. "Besides my mom loves you too much. If she's not married, she probably will make you her boyfriend." Peko scrunched her face as she said that which Fuyuhiko thought was cute. Even though he wants to enjoy the cute scenery before him, his mind wanders about the thing that she said earlier.

“I can try.” Fuyuhiko fiddled with the corner of the picture, flipping it between is thumb, looking a little unconfident. “Can you promise me one thing though?”

“What is it?” Her eyes became intense as she focused on him. This expression of hers makes the others intimidated but it makes Fuyuhiko smile.

He sighed and looked straight into her eyes. “No matter how long I would take, just don’t forget me. Even if your life has changed, even if you grow to hate me someday; just don’t forget me.”

“I don’t think I could forget you even if I want to. Even if my mind does, my heart won’t be able to.” 

“Do you love me that much?” Fuyuhiko joked as he's trying to hide his blushing face. 

“Of course, I love you.” Peko said seriously. If his face isn't red enough before, well now it is. He became silent and unable to said anything since he was caught off guard by what Peko have said. 

“I... I love you too.” Fuyuhiko said after he composed himself from hearing those three words from Peko's mouth.

Fuyuhiko returned her gaze and caught that she's looking lovingly at him. The others may find Peko's eyes intimidating but he can see an abundant amount of tenderness in it. He loved that about her, almost addicted to it. She was just so lovely, like a warm ray of sunshine illuminating a dark, endless well.

Fuyuhiko found himself staring at Peko's lips that it suddenly felt right to claim them with his right then and there. As he deepened their kiss, his hand slipped behind her waist and pulled her closer. Fuyuhiko can feel that Peko wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him closer more than before, making the kiss deeper that both of them are starting to lose their breath. Fuyuhiko are starting to lose his mind but he controlled himself, he pulled away from the kiss and saw how flushed her cheeks are. He smiled at the scenery before him as he hold her in his arms. Peko softly laid her head on his shoulder as she calm herself. 

They stayed like that for a while until Peko removed her head in his shoulder and stared at Fuyuhiko's face. Worry can be seen in her eyes.

“Hey Peko," He cupped the girl's face and lovingly stared at her. "You're the only woman who I ever loved and always will. I promise that I will look for you and follow you wherever you are, even if you're at the ends of the Earth." He paused for a second, his tone is hesitant but he tried to hide it by grinning, "I'll talk to my old man about us and maybe I can finally tell him that I don't want to become a Yakuza boss anymore." He smiled to erased the worry in Peko's face.

* * *

**_Present_ **

Fuyuhiko had been losing and regaining his conciousness for at least eight times. He couldn’t really tell the difference between being conscious or not because he had been hallucinating all the same. Memories from the past came back at him, playing so vividly that he thought he could touch it if he just reached out his hand.

Which he couldn’t even afford to. He had one arm broken and the other shot at the shoulder. He probably broke a few ribs that punctured a lung because he kept spitting blood every time he coughed and breathing was painful at every intake. His blurry sight disabled him from telling the time, his logic was too distorted to gauge how long he had passed out previously. This time, he was awake again when he felt his body being dragged on the floor, passing a few bumps as he was brought into the elevator by the two men who previously took the task of beating him.

The sky was dark, so Fuyuhiko could tell that it was past the sunset.

The men proceeded with dragging the almost lifeless body towards the edge of the building and then handcuffed one of his hands on the steel railing. Out of mercy, he picked the one that was not broken. 

One of the men crouched next to Fuyuhiko, his expression cold. “Look at you.”

Fuyuhiko replied with a low grunt.

“You should have known better. Getting caught is not option. Your father will let you go for sure, just not in the most conventional meaning of ‘letting go’. Who knows if you’ll stay alive? Tell me before hand if you want a grave. That’s all I can do for you.”

The man stood up, ready to leave. He paused right before he turned around. Fuyuhiko was whispering his name.

“Mon..Do...”

“What? Do you want one? A grave?”

“Pe...ko..."

The guy called Mondo just now let out a sigh. He smoothed his jacket. “How the hell would I know? I tried contacting Hajime but he is probably still in hiding; that or he is being chased. Stop thinking about that woman and focus on staying alive, will you?” His voice was hard on the edges, but there was still concern in it. 

Mondo left afterwards, even though it hurt him to see a good friend suffering like that. As much as he was loyal to his friends, Mondo had committed more faith in the clan. He was the type of person who believed in destiny, and he believed that his destiny belonged to the clan. Just like his late brother.

Thunder struck the sky, and rain came down pouring. It was so cold that Fuyuhiko had his whole body shaking so hard; he was so close to having spasm attacks. Still, even in such great pain, he was thinking of Peko. His tears mixed with the rain and rolled down the side of his face. She had kept her promise, but he didn’t. He didn’t look for her. He just gave up after that news of the plane crash. Their meeting few days ago must had been fate’s warning of his punishment that was about to befall upon him. He regretted it so much. He regretted not looking for her earlier. He regretted making a promise that he couldn’t fulfill. He regretted letting her enter his life five years ago. He regretted everything so much he wished he could just die.

“Fuck... I’m so sorry Peko...”

* * *

**Warning** : _< Start of the rape scene>_

Peko was back at the previous suite with Mister Lee. He had ordered room service for a warm meal of grilled meat and an expensive wine. On the other hand, Peko stood in the middle of the room, slightly away from the bed where he was sitting on, holding a gun on his hand and a twisted smile on his face.

“Come here. Have a seat next to me.”

Peko stared at him coldly as she slowly made her way towards Mister Lee and sat next to him, leaving a little gap between them. He put down his gun on the trolley and poured her a glass of wine.

“Have a drink. You need to relax a bit." He told her. Because he kept watching, Peko felt obliged to take a sip.

“That’s a good girl.” He reached for her to take off her black cardigan, leaving her in a white shirt. Peko flinched when his fingers brushed over her shoulders. Mister Lee chuckled at her reaction.

“You need to get used to this to make it easier. I can tell that you’ll be a star among my girls. I can already imagine the kind of clients that you would cater to. Unlike other girls, you’ll only meet the finest men. Saudi princes or Japanese tycoons who would be spending on the finest jewelries for you, people like that. Doesn’t sound too bad, huh?”

Mister Lee pulled out a Swiss knife and placed it between the collar of her shirt, the sharp edge facing outwards. The cold metal brushed against her skin, sending shivers down her spine but her face still remained emotionless. He dragged the knife downwards, ripping her clothes along with her brassiere.

Mister Lee’s smile widened as more skin was exposed for his eyes to feast on. “You really are a rare gem. I’m pretty sure that your clients will never have anything to complain about. You don’t have to worry about experience because I always make sure you have enough before I send you out for your real job.” 

Mister Lee pushed Peko down on the bed. He kissed her but she didn't open her lips so he bit her lips and forcefully enter his tongue. Peko grabbed the bedsheet and twisted harshly in her fist as tears filled her eyes. Mister Lee was merciless with his assault. He didn’t stop even when she was choking over lack of air and her tears. His hands aggressively did things on her body which made her felt like vomiting. It was horrible. She’d rather had a bullet pierced through her skull than going through this, but she was too late to ask for it. Despite of everything that happened, Peko was glad that Fuyuhiko has a chance to live. She's hoping he can survived his condition and that he'll use this chance to live at peace. 

_**Note:** <End of the rape scene>_

As she desperately finding ways to keep her mind sane, she caught something from the side of her eyes. It was a bedside lamp with metal sculpture for the body. If she stretched her hand enough, she was able to reach it. Suddenly more determined than ever, Peko reached the metal sculpture, held it tight and raised it high. Her eyes darkened as the sculpture came down in raging speed, cracking open a wound at the back of Mister Lee’s head. The old man rolled to her side, momentarily in a daze from the sudden attack before he realized what had happened. He was quickly filled with wrath and reached for his gun. However, she was more prepared. She swung the sculpture once more, twice, and thrice. Everytime she hit her target. Blood spurted from his head and his crushed face like water fountain. She didn’t stop. She repeated her action over and over again until there was no movement coming from Mister Lee anymore.

The sculpture fell from her hand with a thud. She looked down at her blood stained body. Her hands were shaking, her knees were too. She was shocked that she killed him but she was relieved deep inside. Her mind went back and forth between the two emotions. She held her head, grabbing her hair tightly.

* * *

Mondo looked at his watch as he stepped out of the elevator. It was about time to take the girl from the suite. According to others, Mister Lee would bring a girl to his suite, and he always preferred to have her taken away after a certain amount of time, before dawn. It was the perfect time. They had just taken Fuyuhiko from the rooftop, ready to send him to the usual place. Hajime would be here in any seconds too; or so he said based on their brief phone conversation just now.

He gave a slight nod to the two guards outside the door of the suite before he stepped inside. 

He needed to be quick, because he was risking his own life too. When he entered the bedroom, his whole body froze to see the crimson mess in front of him. A girl was putting on a black cardigan on, one of her hands was holding a gun. She realized that someone was watching from behind and made an abrupt turn, pointing the gun at him.

“If you come closer, I'll shoot you.” Peko said as she stared coldly at the man before her.

Mondo glanced at the body lying on the carpet behind her, barely looking human and heavily soaked in blood.

“Did you do that?” Mondo asked, as he sighed. "Fuck." He muttered.

Peko ignored his question. Her bloody hands held the gun tight as if she already held one before.

“Where's Fuyuhiko?” Peko asked as she recognized him as one of the men who beat him up. He was the one who fired the gun at Fuyuhiko's shoulder and thigh.

“That’s not important. You need to get out of here, fast. If they found you like this, you’ll be dead.” Mondo hissed. This caused confusion to Peko. This man, the man who was only a step away from killing Fuyuhiko, was trying to help her.

He opened the main door wide and glared at the two guards. “What are you guys doing here?!” He yelled at them. The two men blinked back in confusion.

“The girl has escaped! Mister Lee is dead!” He said to one of the guys. “You, alert the higher-ups, but don’t report to the oyabun yet.” Mondo turned to the other guy, “You, make a thorough research inside, make sure you find her escape route. I’ll alert team K65 and K66 for a searching operation.”

The two men nodded and leave the area to carry out their newly appointed task. One of them ran inside, which gave the opportunity for Peko, who had been hiding behind the opened door to slip outside with Mondo's help. He kept her out of the CCTV and get her to the emergency exit staircase. Before all that, Mondo managed to make a quick faux escape route for her which was an airduct entrance at the bathroom in the suite to mislead the search team.

Mondo lingered at the entrance to give her a brief instruction. “Now listen carefully. You have little time before they search the emergency staircase. As fast as possible, make your way to the bottom floor. Hajime is probably already waiting for you down there. You understand?”

Peko nodded, “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. If you were lucky enough to meet me again next time, I might be the one who will kill you.” Mondo said coldly as he signaled her to go.

With his advice in mind, Peko made her way downwards, barefooted, her torso barely covered with her black cardigan. In the middle of her way, she bumped to a guy who was making his way upstairs. She almost thought that it was one of the men looking for her, but to her relief, it was Hajime. His eyes widened to see blood all over her.

“Hajime.” His name is all Peko can say.

“Peko, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” Hajime reached out for her and checked if she's injured.

She shook her head as she put up a fake smile on her face. Hajime can sense something is wrong so he hugged her. It was only for a brief seconds, but it was she needed after all she had been through since the morning. She still remembered about all the things that Mondo told her just now that they had to be quick. She removed Hajime's arms around her and nodded as he led her downstairs.

“What about Fuyuhiko?” 

“Mondo told me everything about him. Fuyuhiko is not here right now, and we’re going to go save him.”

* * *

Fuyuhiko had done this before. Either to a low-ranked member who jeopardized an important task, or people who took loans and unable to pay them back. It was one of the clan's many traditional punishments, with little variations each time. The victim was strapped and put in the passenger’s seat. The gear was put on ‘D’, and right before the driver jumped out, a brick was placed to weight on the clutch pedal. Usually, the car would be heading towards a river, sometimes a running train. This was one of many ways of how they ‘let go’ of someone they didn’t want.

This time, he was the one who sat at the passenger’s seat. He could see his father watching from the distance, with a wicked smile on his face. As soon as the men finished setting up the car, they placed the brick and slammed the door close. Fuyuhiko was too weak to struggle out of the rope that tied his hands and feet together as the car charged into the river. His head bumped into the windshield, drawing more blood from his wounds as the car made a dive into the water.

Suddenly, Fuyuhiko found himself chuckling in his mind despite of the situation he is in. _It seems that I'm gonna die just like how my mom and sister died and everyone else who was killed by the clan._

As if time dragged like a stretched thin thread, everything seemed to be moving in a slow, blurry motion. The water that was starting to wet his feet, his heavy breathing, his pounding heart, the car sinking to the bottom. He pushed himself up as he looked at his tightly constrained hands.

_How do I stay alive?_

The question rang in his head over and over again. A moment ago he was thinking that he should just give up. He had struggled enough and nothing was working. He was thinking that he should just stay still and die. But then, he heard Peko's voice. He still owed her a lot. If he had to lose an eye to be alive, he would, because only that way he could repay her. He had to stay alive and get her out of that place.

_“No matter how long I would take, just don’t forget me. Even if your life has changed, even if you grow to hate me someday; just don’t forget me.”_

_“I don’t think I could forget you even if I want to. Even if my mind does, my heart won’t be able to.”_

_"You're the only woman that I ever loved and I promise that I will look for you and follow you wherever you are, even if you're at the ends of the Earth."_

The promise was still alive. He didn’t look for her before, but he could do it now.

He groaned loudly, his voice hard and furious as he continued to abuse his broken arm to get it loose from the rope. It was a futile attempt, but he didn’t want to give up while he still had time. The water was already up to his knees. He gritted his teeth and bumped his head at the backrest behind him, frustrated.

“Fuck!”

Just when he thought that all hope had gone, a mysterious figure appeared, floating in front of the windshield. He had a torchlight strapped to his shoulder and an oxygen tank. Other than those, he wasn’t exactly well-equipped for diving. The figure raised his arm, pointing a gun at the car. Fuyuhiko ducked, just in time the gun fired. More shots were released before it stopped. The whole car shook again when the stranger kicked the cracked glass and yanked the layer open. Water rushed into the remaining space, knocking Fuyuhiko against the seat, losing air in the process. The stranger with the long arms grabbed him by his collar and pulled him out of the car. He cut off the rope that held together Fuyuhiko's hands and legs and then gave the mask to him. Fuyuhiko took as much oxygen as he could even though the pressure caused severe pain in his chest. Soon, the stranger pulled him towards the surface.

In his condition, Fuyuhiko barely did any swimming. Everything was done by his savior, up until his body was dragged onto the river bank. It was still raining, though not as heavily as it was a few hours ago. The sky was dark, and his eyes couldn’t make out the face of his savior.

“Hey, Fuyuhiko. Can you hear me?” The stranger tapped his cheek. Fuyuhiko almost lost it, but he forced his eyes open. He couldn’t see a thing in the dark with his blurry eyesight, but he recognized the voice.

“Ha...ji...me...” He muttered.

Hajime sighed in relief. Peko who had been waiting in the rain burst into tears and hugged Fuyuhiko who was still lying on the ground.

“Fuyuhiko...” Peko said, gently cradling his head in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry if it took me so long to update again!  
> It's just that I have a lot of work to do since the class already started.  
> So yeah, I don't know when I'll post the next chapter but I will soon.  
> Thanks for everything!  
> Hope you enjoyed this!


	11. Chapter 11

Fuyuhiko was immediately brought to Hajime's clinic and given an emergency treatment. He was unconscious the moment he was brought into Hajime's car. As soon as they arrived at the clinic, Hajime put himself in charge on Fuyuhiko. Peko insisted that she can assist him, but she needed some medical attention herself for some light injuries. Nagito already warned the medical staffs to keep any information regarding Peko and Fuyuhiko discreet beforehand.

A few hours passed since Fuyuhiko was rushed into the emergency room. His injuries were bad, in fact, he was so close to dying. Hajime was glad that Fuyuhiko had crazy luck, which can be compared to Nagito's, when it came to staying alive. 

Hajime remembered how he managed to survive the harsh times he had when he was in the clan by his intelligence but Fuyuhiko had always survived by being tough. He wasn’t sure if Fuyuhiko had a deal with the grim reaper or what, but Fuyuhiko sure was stubborn.

The sun was rising when Peko had changed to a set of clean clothes from the clinic. No more blood on her hands or her clothes. For the first time since the blood-pumping twenty-four hours ago she can finally relax again. She was standing next to the bed where Fuyuhiko was lying on with oxygen mask covering his face since they had to monitor the amount of oxygen supplied to him because of his lung injury. She observed as his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. There were thick bandages on his shoulder, and probably around his thigh as well. Bruises and fresh wound filled every inch of his skin.

She can feel her chest tightened and her eyes were easily brimming with tears again.

Peko found herself clenching her fists as she remember what Fuyuhiko's father told her. That it was funny how she would rather sacrifice herself than letting Fuyuhiko get kill when she only knew him for three days.

“I still can’t remember anything from five years ago... But maybe... Maybe my heart does. So... I hope when you wake up, don’t treat me like a stranger again.” Peko said to Fuyuhiko with a quiet voice. She wants to touch his hand, but it was covered with bruises, it looked like it would be painful from just a mere touch. Peko retracted her hand.

“Take your time to heal Fuyuhiko. I will wait for you." She said with forced a small smile on her lips and left the room that was only filled with beeping sounds of machines.

Outside the room, Peko leaned against the cold wall, still finding it hard to believe that she managed to escape from that hell. When she heard light footsteps getting closer to her, she looked up and found Nagito standing there.

“Hey Peko," Nagito said with a smile. " I need to take you away from here. It’s still not safe for you.”

“How about Fuyuhiko?” 

“Hajime need to keep an eye to him so I'm the one who will drive you to an apartment at the countryside about two hours from here. All you need to do is stay inside for a few days. I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

“Those people are looking for me, because I killed that man.” Peko said in a cold yet calm manner that Nagito can't believe how calm she is. Suddenly, the memories from that moment flashed through her mind, how she killed that man. Nagito can see how Peko's trying to hide her emotions. He reached for her cold hands and squeezed them in his.

“Peko, you did that because you had to.” Nagito said, his voice gentle and comforting. He already knew what happened since Hajime filled him in after he treated Fuyuhiko. Peko shook her head and forced a smile but Nagito pulled her towards his chest and wrapped her into a securing, warm embrace. He can totally understand what Peko's experiencing right now since he also experienced a similar situation in the past but it's a different story.

“Everything will be okay. We promised to you, we'll work this out Peko.” He whispered.

* * *

**Three days later _-_** _3 am_

Peko had been following closely to Nagito’s instructions. She had kept herself shut in the house, leaving all windows and doors locked since three days ago, as if she was a ghost hiding in a deserted house. It had only been three days, but the days dragged into something that felt like three weeks for her. She had been having a hard time to sleep, because the memories of seeing her hand doing unthinkable thing a few nights ago, regardless the reason, kept haunting her at the darkest time of the night. Having nothing to do in a disturbingly empty and quiet house, those memories came back at her like the Cheshire cat, mocking her with its eerie laughter. Everytime the nightmare attacked her, she always found herself crying as her nightmare ended with Fuyuhiko being dead. She even tried to distract her mind with happier memories from the past, but the problem was she didn’t have one; a past. Ever since five years ago, she lived her life as if she was in a dull, black and white movie. She had a few great times with her neighbors and colleagues from her workplace, but none of the memories were special enough to be engraved at the back of her mind. None could beat the punishing weight of a memory such as killing another person with your own hands.

She wished she could at least have one, just one sweet memory she had with Fuyuhiko to come back to her.

That day she woke up early, had breakfast, stare into the space, occasionally flipping through the buzzy channels in the tv even when she had obvious dark circles under her eyes. She was curious if there was any news about a murder of a gang leader, but the organization probably didn’t let any stories from inside to get leaked to the public.

Sometimes, well, most of the times, she was thinking about Fuyuhiko. She was so worried about him, she could die from the anxiety. He was still unconscious when she left, and there was no news from Nagito or Hajime ever since.

Peko sighed. The exhaustion from previous sleepless nights was finally taking its toll on her body. She had slept the whole day that day until her eyes were swollen. Then, she was back into the sleepless night pattern.

Nagito had told her that he won’t be contacting her for a while, but it was probably about time he came. As she continued to drift further into her thoughts, sitting at the dining table alone, subtle door knocks was heard. Peko carefully left the kitchen and quietly walk towards the door.

“It’s me, Hajime,” a voice said quietly from outside. Peko unlocked the door and let him in.

“I didn't expect you to be here Hajime." She told him with a civil, faint smile dangling on her lips.

“I brought something for you.” Hajime replied her smile and handed her some take-out foods.

“Thanks. I’ve been craving for some.”

The both of them wordlessly headed to the kitchen so that they could sit at the table; a perfect place for an important discussion.

“You don’t look too good,” He said, slightly hinting at her eyebags, unhealthy pale complexion and looking fatigued in general. His eyes faithfully followed Peko's back as she prepared some hot drinks for her guest while waiting for her response.

“I’m fine. Just… quietly reflecting on life.” She said casually, but there was a tiny sigh that escaped her dried lips at the end of her reply. Peko returned to the dining table and put a glass in front of the young doctor.

Hajime stalled in the silence for a while before he changed the topic. “Fuyuhiko woke up. This morning.”

“I see. That’s sooner than I thought.”

“Despite how he looks, he is quite the tough guy.” Hajime smiled.

Peko let out a soft chuckle. “I can tell... It’s good to know, that he’s doing well.”

“I didn’t know this before but he is the stubborn patient type too. He insisted that he was fine and kept asking me to remove the wires and tubes from his body. He had been itching to leave the bed.” Hajime shook his head.

Peko smiled. _I see, he's very stubborn._

“He had been asking about you. From the moment his eyes opened. I told him everything; that you are here, that you had escaped from Mister Lee unscathed and that... that guy is dead.”

“Does he know about... The things I did to him too?”

Hajime nodded, carefully observing her reaction. She looked a little discouraged, but braved herself with a smile.

“Well, he has the right to know." Peko added.

“Now that we’re on the topic...” Hajime took a deep breath before he continued, “I actually have a bad news for you.”

Peko had prepared herself for this. She knew that after whatever happened at the hotel back then, her life would never be the same again. It was sooner that she thought, but she guessed the faster she moved on, the better. She still had a life to continue after all.

Hajime pulled out an A4 sized envelope and passed it to her.

“Peko, you can’t stay here anymore. Not in South Korea especially not in Japan. This place is not safe for you anymore.” Hajime's eyes darkened. His voice was weighted with heavy concern and seriousness. She immediately understood what he meant. Those people won’t easily forgive her. They would search for her through every crooks and nooks in this city, this country. She had to be punished for what she had done. Even if she was perfectly hidden from those people, she was still in risk of being caught by the law enforcement for the crime she had done.

Peko took a deep breath. Though it's hard to accept how fate easily turned its back on her, she was not surprised. She took the envelope and examined each documents inside. It was a complete set of official documents belonging to an entirely new persona. There was a passport, a birth certificate, identity card, driving license, residential lease; the list went on. Everything was there, but it didn’t belong to a South Korean citizen. And then there was a plane ticket, a direct flight to Norway at 12 pm. She guessed that was her new home.

“For how long?” She asked timidly.

“A year at least. Or three, or a whole lot more. Nobody knows.” Hajime quietly said. The whole room was filled with silence. He continued, “I’ll be resting for a few hours while you can pack your things. Before sunrise, I’ll take you back to Seoul. You can meet Fuyuhiko before you leave. I... This is the best I could do. I wish I could do better, but-”

“I understand... I'm really grateful to you, Hajime and also to Nagito. For all the trouble.” _It wasn’t like I had anyone here so it doesn’t matter where I lived._ Peko thought to herself.

Hajime reached for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “No matter what happened, just remember. It’s not your fault. You should move on and live well.”

Peko nodded as she give him a small smile.

* * *

Peko knocked on the door before she pushed the door open. To her surprise, the bed was empty. It wasn’t yet made up and still warm; he had probably just got up recently. She immediately looked up when she heard the toilet door clicked.

There he was, still clad in his hospital gown, slightly limping his way out of the toilet. He almost jumped, surprised to see Peko standing by his bed. His little reaction made her laughed a little.

“I thought Hajime prohibited you from standing up just yet?” Peko asked, almost making her way towards him to assist him back to his bed. Fuyuhiko lightly waved his hand in rejection as he made his way towards the bed on his own, so she sat at the chair next to the bed.

“I’m fucking healthy enough to start walking. It’s just gross having to pee and shit in your bed.” Fuyuhiko winced as he made himself comfortable on the bed again.

This brought a smile to Peko's face. He did look healthier already, and she was glad.

“You don’t... look too good.” Fuyuhiko pointed out hesitantly.

Peko's smile falter but she forced herself to smile once again. “I find it hard to sleep well these days.” 

Her answer, no matter how general it sounded, tugged guilt from the core of his heart. After a few moments of silence, Fuyuhiko braved himself to look at her in the eyes again. Even so, she still looked gorgeous. He was suddenly back to a teenage boy in love as his heart raced faster.

“I’m sorry.” Fuyuhiko said. It was short, but it pierced like sharp ice through Peko.

She denied his apology with a shake of her head and an intense gaze. "You have no reason to be sorry.”

“I have a fucking thousands of reasons to be sorry about." Fuyuhiko replied, his voice mellow and full of pain. “For all the things I put you through... They are all because of me.”

“You said I was important to you." Peko said, "I should at least do that much for someone whom you used to care a lot, right?”

Fuyuhiko shook his head. His eyes were glazed with so much regret. “If only I could, I would make you fucking forget all the things you’ve been through up to this moment. I’m just... It’s so bad. You don’t fucking deserve all this. You’d be happier if we didn’t fucking meet again.”

“How could you say that Fuyuhiko!" Peko exclaimed, slightly surprised at what the boy said. "Even though I can't remember what happened from five years ago, we meet again... I was so lonely and lost that I was so thankful and so happy that I met you. I don’t want to forget you again.” She said with blushed on her face. This caused Fuyuhiko's chest tightened.

"I... I’m sorry Peko. I didn’t even keep our promise... When you kept yours.”

“You don't need to apologize Fuyuhiko. I don’t even remember it so why would that matter now?” Peko said.

“Peko...” is all Fuyuhiko can say that moment as he swallowed a thick lump in his throat. _How was that even possible? How can a person accept me twice after all that happened? How could she do that even when she can't even remember him before? Technically, we were strangers._ He thought.

“Fuyuhiko..." Peko whispered.

Fuyuhiko was a little hesitant before he finally gave in to what his heart told him to do: to follow what it said. “Can you come a little closer?”

Peko obliged. She got up from her chair and sat closer to him at the edge of the bed.

“Can you... close your eyes?” Fuyuhiko said while trying to hide his blushed.

Peko did as he told without questions or doubt.

Fuyuhiko raised his hand and gently placed the curve of his palm on her cheek. She felt so smooth under his touch. The tips of his fingers curled into her hair that felt soft like cotton. He stared at her for long time. The moment he opened his eyes and saw her in Korea, he wanted to hold her, so badly. But he was a stranger to her so he held back. She had a job and lived in a nice neighborhood. He thought she was happy and that he should stay away to avoid ruining that. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe they were meant to meet again no matter how he avoided her.

“I’ll find you.” He said as his thumb gently brushing across her cheek.

Peko slowly opened her eyes.

“It’s a promise that you don’t remember, but I do. It’s an important promise but I have yet to fulfill it. Will you allow me to do that?”

Peko nodded in his hand.

“Peko,” Fuyuhiko called her. “Please wait for me. Until then, live well. Be happy.”

She didn’t answer to him nor did she show any response to that. She continued to stare into his eyes with hers. She cupped her hand over Fuyuhiko's which was still gently pressed against her cheek.

Wordlessly, she leaned forward and pressed her lips onto Fuyuhiko. The next second, the kiss grew deeper, molding into each other. As if time had slowed down for them, Fuyuhiko gently returned the kiss. Their eyes were closed from the world, their ears blocked from any interruptions. There were just them both, connecting with each other from their lips all the way through their heart. It almost felt like a dream; that they were finally able to touch each other on the layer beneath their skin. For Fuyuhiko, it was unexpected, but it was something he had longed for years. Strangely, it felt as if she was feeling the same.

It made him felt more desperate. His fingers clutched tighter on her hair. He wanted to hold her and not let go. He wanted to scream, _‘Please Peko, don’t go! Don't leave me!’_ , but he quickly reminded himself that he needed to take a step back, and then slowly moving towards her again when the time was right.

Their lips slowed their movement and they finally pulled away, slowly lifted their lids again.

“I will,” was her reply.

* * *

**1 year later**

_11:30 am - Norway_

Peko had just returned from her Norwegian class. It was only 20 minutes from her apartment building, which Hajime and Nagito had easily arranged for her. She walked past a grocery shop and then paused a few steps after the door. She peeked inside through the glass window and thought she could do a little shopping. Her eyes slightly rolled upwards as she thought about her kitchen. She already ran out of eggs and fruits. She could use some snacks too. Peko finally decided to enter the shop.

After a while, she exited the shop with full hands. Still, she decided to take a detour on the way home. There was a lovely park nearby and maybe she could stroll through it on the way home. She enjoyed watching some elders taking dates at the park or little kids sailing their boats at the lake.

Peko saw a couple of elders who also lived in the same apartment building as hers and gave them a little smile. They replied her smile and said something she didn’t fully understand, but she just laughed it off as they waved goodbye and strolled along their way. She started to make some friends with her neighbors, but they hardly exchanged much words because of the language barrier. At first, they were a little distant, but she made some effort to be friendly with them regardless. A couple of baked potato pies later, they already treated her like a daughter, inviting her for dinner sometimes. She had already grown to love the local food and was able to make some by herself.

It didn’t feel too lonely anymore. It was just like back at home. Sometimes she missed the friends she made in Korea but decided to not think too much about it; or the past. It could drive her crazy.

She was still lost in thoughts when suddenly a kid bumped into her and continued to run as he laughed hysterically. Another boy was fleeting behind him, yelling at him in the language she had only started to warm up to. She had to step aside as the boys were too indulged in their little game to see anyone in their ways. She realized that she had dropped a couple of apples. She sighed but kept a positive attitude. Peko tightened her grip on her grocery bag and slowly bent her knees to reach the apples at her feet. Before she could reach it, a hand picked them up and placed them back in her grocery bag.

Peko looked up. Her eyes immediately widened.

“Fuyuhiko...” She muttered in a daze. _Am I imagining things or was this real?_

The guy chuckled and shook his head. “I’m supposed to go by Kenji Takahashi now.”

“Hana Nakamura.” Peko stretched her hand, offering him a handshake. For some reason, he didn’t take it.

“That’s a fucking nice name. It fits you.” He smiled thinking that it must be Hajime's work. He raised his hand to point to a red building behind with his thumb. “Do you live there?”

“Yes, why-”

“I live there starting today too. On the fourth floor, unit 402.”

"I see." Peko said but her eyes widened when she realized something. “My-”

The hand that was offering a friendly handshake just now was already back at her side but he grabbed it again by the wrist as he took a step closer to her. Their bodies almost touched as he slightly bent his neck and sealed his greeting with a deep kiss. Her apples fell and rolled on the ground, but she was already swept to a different world to care. His kiss was gentle at first but it grew more desperately as seconds ticked. She loved it though. It made her feel wanted and important, which was a feeling that was lacking more and more as days went by in this foreign land.

He gradually softened his lips against hers before he finally pulled away from the kiss. The taste of his lips was still lingering on hers even after she opened her eyes. To her delight, he was still there, his face merely an inch away from hers. It wasn’t a dream.

Fuyuhiko smiled. “Hello, neighbor.”

“I believe that was...” Peko licked her lower lip, “a little too friendly for a neighborly greeting.”

“Yeah? Thought it’s how the people here do it. Damn, I shouldn’t have trusted the internet.” He smirked.

Peko chuckled. She tilted her head and buried his smile into another kiss.

Alone with no family, friends she barely knew nothing about, language she hardly grasped, a new neighbor who went by Kenji Takahashi on his official documents but whom she called Fuyuhiko in secret anyway; life felt just about right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, I'm done!  
> Thank you for reading this story and sorry if the characters seems oc loool.  
> I hope you enjoyed reading Flee from the Past!


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